Stunning Girona beat Barcelona to prime La Liga desk | Football News | USAEMALL.com

The win strikes Girona two factors forward of Real Madrid, who drew 1-1 with Real Betis, as Barcelona dropped to fourth place.

Girona made a robust case to be thought of real contenders for the Spanish league title by beating Catalan rivals Barcelona 4-2 and overtaking Real Madrid on the prime of the standings.

Ukraine forwards Artem Dovbyk and Viktor Tsygankov teamed up for Girona’s opener, and Miguel Gutierrez, Valery Fernandez and Cristhian Stuani scored a objective every to seal the away victory in opposition to the defending league champions on Sunday. Robert Lewandowski and Ilkay Gundogan scored Barcelona’s targets.

The assertion win moved Girona two factors forward of Madrid, who drew 1-1 with Real Betis on Saturday. Barcelona dropped to fourth place, seven factors behind their regional rivals and 5 behind Madrid. Atletico Madrid regained third place with a 2-1 win over last-place Almeria to increase their successful streak at house within the league to 17 matches. Atletico have the identical 34 factors as Barcelona with a sport in hand.

Barcelona had by no means misplaced in six matches in opposition to Girona within the league, with 4 wins and two attracts.

“Girona deserve a lot of credit. It has a great team,” Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez mentioned.

“It was an even match, it could have gone either way. It also would have been a fair result if we had won it.”

Girona, partly owned by Manchester City’s Abu Dhabi possession, by no means appeared just like the minnows, exhibiting maturity and poise from the beginning on the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium.

‘Special victory’

The staff coached by Michel Sanchez, sporting a white-and-blue uniform with comparable colors to Man City, have been enjoying a few of the greatest soccer in Spain and holding on to a place close to the highest from the beginning of the season.

“It’s a special victory, it gives us the lead,” Michel instructed reporters after the match.

“Very happy with the result because we faced a great Barca team,” he mentioned.

“I don’t know if we have the ability to win La Liga, but we are able to beat any opponent.”

Girona had received 12 of their first 15 league matches, although that they had failed of their first huge take a look at once they misplaced 3-0 to Real Madrid at house in September.

There was no drawback in opposition to Barcelona, although.

In La Liga for less than the fourth season of their historical past, they performed with none concern of their extra illustrious neighbours and took the lead early on as the sport seesawed deliciously from finish to finish.

The guests opened the scoring in a breakaway within the twelfth minute. Dovbyk discovered the web from shut vary after finishing a low cross by his countryman Tsygankov. Barcelona equalised with a header by Lewandowski off a nook kick taken by Raphinha within the nineteenth, however Girona retook the lead within the fortieth with a pleasant shot by Gutierrez into the highest nook from inside the world.

Fernandez scored Girona’s third within the eightieth earlier than Barcelona pulled nearer with Gundogan’s objective two minutes into stoppage time. Stuani restored Girona’s two-goal benefit 5 minutes into harm time.

Barcelona’s title defence is on the ropes.

“We’re seven points behind, which is a lot, but there’s more than half a season to go,” de Jong instructed DAZN.

“There’s time, but we have a lot to come back from.”

Fan loss of life at Granada

The sport between Granada and Athletic Bilbao was suspended after a fan suffered a cardiac arrest and died within the stands.

Granada mentioned the fan had been a season ticket holder for 16 years. No additional particulars got concerning the fan’s identification.

The match will restart on Monday night time from the seventeenth minute with Athletic main 1-0. Inaki Williams had put the guests forward within the sixth minute.